New video from Saro takes expressive dance to limb-twisting extremes.

 

We all know about those music videos where the main form of expression comes through what is essentially interpretive dance. After all, it’s one of the biggest factors in why Sia seemed to be so musically dominant in 2014. However, Saro seems to be taking that expressionism to an extreme in the music video for latest single TEST.

Despite the pumping rhythms and energetic synth patterns, there is an undeniable sense of melancholy coursing through the track. The falsetto chimes with unbridled emotion while the oddly uneasy musical shifts seal the atmosphere of uncomfortable sadness. But just in case the musical melancholy went over your head, the video delivers the message just as clearly. Artistically shot footage of isolated figures contorting to the music are spliced together, cutting quickly between each through a blue-tinted screen.

It couldn’t be any more negative-imbued if it tried, yet it still doesn’t pigeonhole itself in a particular feeling. The beauty of the expressive contorting, as with the track itself, is that it manages to stay emotionally ambiguous while still leaning to one side. It’s a fascinating study into the effectiveness of expressive movement.